What is a Storage VPS?
Storage VPS works and is structured in the same way as Cloud VPS, with the difference that Storage VPS is specifically optimized for projects requiring a lot of storage. This means that a Storage VPS has more available storage space than a conventional Cloud VPS.
A Virtual Private Server (VPS) is a fully virtualized environment running on a physical server. Unlike shared hosting, where multiple users share the same resources, a VPS provides isolated computing power, memory and storage. This gives each user an allocated slice of a physical machine.
How a Storage VPS works
Once created, a Storage VPS functions as an independent virtual environment, like a traditional VPS. The difference lies in resource allocation. While a standard VPS balances CPU, RAM and fast storage, a storage VPS is specifically optimized to provide very large amounts of SSD storage space.
Setup
A hypervisor manages a Storage VPS, just like it does any virtual server. This hypervisor is a virtualization layer that ensures resources are reserved and isolated. CPU cores and RAM are allocated in slightly smaller amounts than a regular Cloud VPS. However, this is balanced out with a larger allocation of hard disk space. This allows for a cost-effective balance of VPS resources with storage as the highest priority.
Networking and Storage
A Storage VPS comes with virtual network interfaces that provide you with unique IP addresses and customizable network configurations. Such a setup allows the server to handle incoming and outgoing traffic, often with high allowances for large data transfers. This makes this environment particularly suitable for backups, media libraries and cloud storage solutions where storage capacity and reliability are more important than high-speed I/O performance.
Anatomy of a Storage VPS
The main differences between a Cloud VPS and a Storage VPS lie in how they allocate physical hardware. A Cloud VPS prioritizes computing power, while a Storage VPS shifts the focus toward disk capacity.
Virtual Storage
The defining feature of a Storage VPS is its virtual storage. Unlike a traditional VPS, which focuses on smaller but faster NVMe drives, a storage VPS offers significantly larger SSD volumes ranging from a few hundred gigabytes to several terabytes. Each Storage VPS instance operates with its own isolated drive, ensuring security, data separation and independent file management.
Virtual CPU
The hypervisor allocates a set number of virtual CPUs from the physical host. In a Storage VPS, this allocation is typically smaller compared to a regular Cloud VPS, as most storage workloads do not require intensive processing power. The provided vCPUs are sufficient for file handling, synchronization tasks and lightweight applications that accompany storage use cases.
Virtual RAM
The Storage VPS provides virtual memory on a smaller scale to support memory management processes and additional installed applications. Although the allocated vRAM is not intended for memory-intensive workloads, it ensures stable operation of services such as backup systems, cloud synchronization or file servers.
Add-On Features
Operating Systems, Applications and Deployment Options
With a Storage VPS, you are free to install the operating system that fits your needs, like Linux, Windows and Ubuntu. You can deploy common control panels such as Plesk, cPanel, or Webmin for administration. Beyond traditional hosting tasks, the system can also support blockchain environments for networks like Bitcoin, Flux or Horizen.
Security and Private Networking
Security controls let you set up firewalls, manage SSH keys and set up intrusion detection systems, giving you full visibility into your server environment and protecting sensitive data. Moreover, always-on DDoS protection, that is included with all Contabo Servers, keeps your server safe from outside attacks.
Private Networking enables the setup of isolated virtual networks with unrestricted internal traffic, improving both efficiency and security for multi-server deployments.
Sizing Resources and Full Root Access
Moreover, you can tailor a Storage VPS by selecting the right mix of CPU cores, memory, and storage space to match each workload’s requirements.
Administrative access at the root level provides full control over the machine, even in cases of boot errors or system malfunctions, ensuring uninterrupted configurability and management.
Use Cases of a Storage VPS
A Storage VPS is ideal wherever storage capacity and reliability are more important than maximum computing power. Typical use cases include offsite backups for systems and data. As well as private cloud storage such as Nextcloud and central media archives for large photo, video or audio collections. For data-heavy but computationally light applications, a storage VPS can also handle light databases, log collections or raw analysis data.
Final Assessment: Is a Storage VPS Right for You?
Storage VPS is the perfect solution for anyone who wants to combine maximum storage space with the flexibility of a virtual machine. You only pay for the resources you really need. At the same time, you benefit from the same advantages as with Cloud VPS: full root access, flexible configurations, and high traffic volumes.